Isochronism
by Cithariza
Summary: The mission was simple: escort four princesses to a safe haven.  However, the YJ gang find themselves interwoven into a story as old as time itself.  Will they survive?
1. Author's Note

A/N: Hello, everybody! This is my first story, and I wanted to share the experience with you guys by having your input! So, I have decided to hold a little character contest and have you all write up a character you would like to see in this story. So, here's the application, good luck!

**Name (just first name):**

**Rank: (is your character the oldest, second oldest, second youngest, youngest?)**

**Appearance (hair color, eye color, height, built, etc)**

**Personality (give me positive and negative qualities. For example: passionate, but **

**stubborn. Feel free to list as many personality traits as you want!)**

**Would you be okay with me changing some aspects of your character to better fit the storyline? (Yes/No)**

**I will try to write romance, but I will not ask for you to write down your favorite character because not all the boys will end up with one of the girls. There will be other characters that will fulfill that role.**

**I hope you're as excited about this story as I am! The deadline for this will be Sunday (June 19****th****) night (11:30, will accept up until midnight). **


	2. Author's Note 2

A/N: Wow, guys! The feedback I've received has just been amazing! Thank you so much! I truly appreciate it. And to show my gratitude, I've decided to use **everybody's **character. I promise that I will showcase your character in some way, and make it really cool and fun. I cannot promise how big of a role your character will get, but I promise to make the time they appear in the story awesome! So, I really hope you stick around to see that happen! Let me know if you are okay with me using your character in a different role other than one of the princesses.

So, without further ado…the princesses are:

Keena

Submitted by: Sunahu

Aerabella (Aerie)

Submitted by: kenZibenZi

Sonya

Submitted by: Kokyou Konran

Cassandra

Submitted by: sweetpea999

A/N: Chapter 1 is almost done, I just need to edit and add some last minute details. Hopefully I'll have it posted Tuesday night or Wednesday sometime. Thanks again for the support! Let me know what you think!


	3. Day One, Daybreak

**A/N: I'm so glad that the feedback I have been receiving are so positive! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I sure hope I can live up the expectations you all have.**

**And thank you to everyone who is still letting me use the character(s) they submitted. I will do my best to have each character in at least two chapters!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

{*}

Chapter 1: Day One, Daybreak

Though their view of the sky was mostly obstructed by forest's flora, the stars twinkled brightly in between the thick leaves of the trees as they walked by. The midnight black sky that they were so used to seeing for the past few hours began to lighten, the faded colors of pink and orange slowly creeping across the heavens above. Kaldur had found himself looking up for the better part of their trip, the beauty of the night entangling him in her web of darkness and mystery. As much as he loved Atlantis, his submerged homeland, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of his adopted home. Never had he seen such colors underneath the ocean's surface before. He and his companions had been walking for the past four hours, but Kaldur felt no stress in his body. A cool northern wind brushed against his face, whispering promises of peace and tranquility to him as he traversed the forest ground.

However, the same could not be said for his companions.

"Are we there yet, Aqualad?" Robin whined. "We've been walking for four hours."

Kaldur glimpsed down at the directions he held, the incandescent glow of the moon affording him the ability to read the parchment.

"I am afraid not," Aqualad responded, his tone soft yet authoritative. The fifteen year old boy sighed, clearly frustrated by Aqualad's answer.

"I just don't see why we're stuck babysitting these girls. I mean, why us?"

"In most cultures, guarding royalty is considered an honor. Besides, Megan, Kid Flash, and Superboy are in the midst of a mission in Hong Kong, while Artemis is currently in Star Citywith Green Arrow investigating the recent activities of Bull's had no one else to deploy but us."

The third companion, who had been silent since the beginning of their trek, scoffed loudly at the Atlantean's statement.

"Let us be grateful that Red Arrow was willing to accompany us," the eighteen year old amended, realizing his friend's sensitivity toward the subject of Artemis.

The red-haired boy scowled, but it went unnoticed in the dark. "Whatever."

A silence descended upon the three boys, and no one attempted small talk as they continued to trudge through the thicket. More colors began to appear in the sky, and the birds were once again singing their song. The forest around them became more visible by the minute.

The sun was rising. Kaldur stopped walking.

He held up his hand, signaling to his partners that they were at the designated point. Red Arrow and Robin stopped in their tracks, eyeing the area in which they stood.

"There's nothing here," Robin stated curiously.

"Are we sure the instructions the Batman gave you are legit?" Red Arrow inquired suspiciously. Ever since he parted company with his mentor, being back on team was not the archer's cup of tea. Were it up to him, he would've left right then and there, the smell of a trap lingering in the morning air. But he noticed both Robin and Aqualad made no move to depart. Bound by his word, the hotheaded teen remained, none too pleased with the situation at hand.

Kaldur nodded. "Batman did not seem concerned that the information he was given could lead us astray. This must be th—"

The breaking of twigs interrupted the teen mid-sentence. In a heartbeat, each boy whirled around, facing the source of the sound. Red Arrow, who was the closest to the source, was the first to react. His arrow shot out in front of him, creating and elegant arch as it zoomed toward the lone figure that seemed to materialize out of the trees. With what seemed like speed that could rival that of Kid Flash, the mysterious person managed to dodge the arrow and deliver a sidekick to Red Arrow's chest, causing him to collapse onto the ground.

Kaldur and Robin rushed to their fallen comrade's aid, the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. While Kaldur knelt down to assess Red Arrow's condition, the Boy Wonder ran toward their attacker, who he realized as he approached, was female. Once he was within range, the raven-haired teen jumped into the air, throwing several batarangs at the assailant. Though his aim was true, she avoided each and every batarang with a series of backhand springs. Not deterred by her skill, Robin charged at her once more.

With Kaldur's help, Red Arrow was able to stand back up. Quickly nodding to his aquatic friend in thanks, the redheaded boy joined in the fray. Aqualad followed pursuit, withdrawing his twin water-bearers. Water gushed out, a blade forming a blade that extended out of each hilt. He prepared to attack, but hesitated as he watched the melee before him.

Robin and the woman were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and from what Kaldur could see, they were evenly matched. Robin would get in a few good kicks and strikes, but the woman in turn would hit him as well. It was a standstill and strategically, Kaldur saw only one option.

He waited, watching the two fighters closely as they circled each other. After several minutes of observation, Aqualad saw his opening as the enemy turned her back to him. He sprinted toward them, his blades out. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw his teammate approach. Dodging the woman's fist, Robin managed to land spinning heel kick to her face, causing the woman to stumble back a few paces, momentarily dazing her.

It was all Kaldur needed. As the woman tried to regain her equilibrium, he raised his blades, allowing gravity to assist him as he attacked her. She flew backwards until she collided with a tree. Before anyone can react, an arrow soared toward her, suddenly opening up and encompassing her in a net.

She was trapped. The three friends slowly approached her, their guard up. As they peered into her face, they did not see anger and hatred. Rather, to their astonishment, a bemused expression was on her face, her dark blue eyes twinkling in delight.

"Worthy opponents, you three are," she said, almost as if she were relieved. The boys looked each other in confusion.

"I do not understand what you were expecting from this battle," Kaldur explained in bewilderment.

The pale girl smiled enigmatically. "You come looking for the kingdom of Ebesya, do you not?"

Robin blinked in surprise. "Actually, yeah. Who…who are you?"

"I am Jane. I have been sent on behalf of King Caeros to retrieve you. Now, I ask that you remove this net, for we have very little time." Kaldur stepped forward, reaching his hand out to help extract the girl from the net's clutches.

"Whoa, wait a minute! How can we trust her? She attacked us!" Red Arrow exclaimed, the disbelief evident in his voice.

"We cannot, not yet." Aqualad looked at his two friends. "Be on your guard."

The two boys tensed, readying their respective weapons as Kaldur helped the woman out of the net. Once she was free, Jane did not attack. Rather, she wordlessly turned on her heel and began walking deeper into the forest. Robin shrugged at the older heroes and darted into the forest as well, his thirst for answers quelling all suspicions he initially held. Warily, Red Arrow also entered the forest with Kaldur right behind him, unsure of what he thought of this girl.

They didn't walk very far, a mere fifty yards from what Robin could gauge. Jane suddenly stopped in front of tree. On the outside, it did not appear to be an extraordinary tree. It was decidedly oak, the size, leaf type, and bark consistent with that particular tree type. Bearing no distinguishable features, Robin watched the young woman closely; unable to figure out what she planned to do. The young sleuth did not have to wait long for his answer.

The dark-blonde placed a single hand on the tree.

"_Diyefin."_

Robin studied the tree, and thought he saw the slightest shimmer surround it. On the verge of dismissing the notion, Jane placed her free hand on his shoulder.

"Go."

He eyed the woman strangely. But before he could say anything, he was shoved toward the tree, the momentum he gathered from the girl's touch propelling him involuntarily. Robin closed his eyes, anticipating a painful impact.

He felt none. Curious, he opened his eyes, and he saw that the oak tree was no longer in front of him. Robin glanced behind him, and noticed that the oak was not behind him, either.

"Where are we?" Red Arrow inquired, looking around at new area they found themselves in. Kaldur studied the area as well, taking in the scenery. From the looks on his comrades' faces, they too had never seen place like this one either.

Jane appeared next to Robin, not paying attention to the land before her. Instead, she turned to three adolescents and gestured grandly.

"Welcome to Ebeysa."

{*}

**A/N: So…what did you think? I really hope you liked it, fantasy is so not my forte. So please let me know if you liked it or if you know of any way I can improve. Like I said, this type of writing style is sort of weak for me, but I really want to improve! Thank you for reading, and I'm anxious to hear what you think! The princesses will probably be introduced in the next chapter, and if not, then by chapter three most definitely!**

**Special thanks to Ranger Sage for the character Jane! I hope you liked how I wrote her! She'll be in the next chapter, so let me know what I can do to improve! **

"


	4. Day One, Midmorning

**A/N: Greetings and salutations! It's been a while, yeah? Well, this chapter was REALLY hard to write because I had to come up with history/mythology/genealogy/descriptions of Ebeysa. So yeah, it's also a freakishly long chapter! I hope you guys have the patience to read it. Let me know if I need to cut it in half!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

{*}

Chapter 2: Day One, Midmorning

It didn't look too different from where they were moments prior. There were countless tress around, but this time, Kaldur could hear the sounds of animals. The trees were still too thick to see through, and for a moment the boy wondered if people actually lived there.

"Wait, what?" Red Arrow exclaimed, "What the heck did you just do?"

Jane ignored his question, motioning to the three boys to follow her once more. "We must not talk now, not here. I must take you to King Caeros before the people awaken."

Red Arrow opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but an authoritative glare from Jane thwarted his actions. Instead, the archer sighed as he followed the girl, Kaldur and Robin following in suit.

Jane noiselessly moved away from the sleepy village and led the group through the trees. Wordlessly, they walked through the trees until they came to a clearing where Robin noted the steady river that seemed to flow endlessly in either direction. The blonde girl brought them to the river's bank, where a portion of a big rock poked out of the water's surface. She stood on top of the rock, her arm extended toward the moving water.

"_Hrila."_

Several rocks emerged from the water, forming a path to the other side of the river. The young warrior jumped to the closest rock, and continued this pattern until she was across the river.

The three boys looked at Jane, then at the rocks, and finally at each other. Disbelief was clearly written on each boy's face. First, she managed to transport them by way of tree, and now she can conjure rocks.

_What have we gotten ourselves into?_ Roy thought to himself in awe.

Kaldur recovered first, and with cat-like grace he crossed to the other side. Robin and Red Arrow followed close behind. At one point, the red haired boy lost his balance and nearly fell into the rushing currents, but Robin was able to pull him back onto the rock before it was too late. Muttering a dark "thank you" to the younger hero, Roy carefully hopped to the next rock and eventually made it safely across.

Once everyone was across, Jane began to walk once more, this time eastward, toward the rising sun. As if they passed an invisible barrier, Jane's posture seemed to loosen, and she began to speak.

"It is said that Ebesya is where mankind originated," Jane began quietly. "Legend has it that the two supreme deities Azifra and Yundi, the gods of sky and earth respectively, created the Earth out of nothing. After creating all the landforms, plants, and animals, the god Azifra made a man and a woman out of air and earth to watch over the creations he had made. He called them Wrofi. But the Wrofi proved too irresponsible and many of the plants and animals died because of their thoughtlessness. In anger, Azifra banished them from Ebeysa as punishment. Much like the Adam and Eve story of your people," the girl confirmed, noticing the recognition on Robin and Red Arrow's faces.

"Unlike your story, the goddess Yundi wept for the loss. To console her grief, she created another man and woman, this time out of the earth and her tears. These creatures she created proved much more responsible than their predecessors. She called them Unije. It is written in the Analects of Ryoki that all Ebeysans are descendents of the Unije and those who live outside of Ebeysa descended from the Wrofi. It is said that all Ebeysans are born with the ability to commune with nature because the Unije were born of the goddess' tears."

Jane slowed her pace, and Kaldur could see a great structure not too far ahead. From what he could tell, it was made entirely of stone, and loomed several stories high above them. Four spiral towers stood on each corner, and along the walls grew some sort of plant, ivy from the looks of it. In a word, it was beautiful. As if it were created by nature itself. It wasn't hard to deduce that this building was King Caeros's palace.

The first thing Kaldur noticed once they were close enough was that there was no door. He looked to Jane, who appeared undeterred. She stood in front of the stony wall, and placed her hand on the bumpy surface of the wall. Her hand momentarily glowed green before the rock sunk into the wall. An opening suddenly formed in front of them, as if it had been there all along. Jane removed her hand from the wall and entered inside. As soon as the three boys entered, the opening closed behind them with a loud clapping sound. Kaldur placed his hand where the opening had been, and the stone that pressed against his hand felt cold and hard.

_Incredible_, Kaldur mused. He hadn't seen anything like this since his time in Atlantis. Whoever these people were, they were as much part of the earth as he was of the sea.

It was pitch black within the room they found themselves in. But before any of the boys reacted, a light appeared in Jane's hand. Upon further inspection, Robin realized she had a torch in her hand.

The four youngsters traveled down the passageway, which appeared dank and damp to Red Arrow. Jane suddenly stopped in front of the wall to her left, and once again placed her hand upon the stony wall. This time, a staircase appeared in the opening, spiraling up towards the heavens, it seemed. The girl began to ascend the staircase, and it was implied that the boys follow behind her.

After about five flights, Robin started to feel dizzy from the circles the staircase made. He was about to ask when the stairs would end when a door appeared in the distance. The youngest member of the group inwardly sighed in relief. As they got closer, Robin squinted his eyes, for he thought he saw figure in front of the door.

Two guards stood in front of the door the wooden door, their faces impassive as the troupe approached them. The chain mail they wore appeared very light in material, allowing them the flexibility to move quickly. The swords they held were long and light, the tips curved upwards like a sabre. Through their apathetic visages, Robin could detect suspicion in their eyes as Jane addressed them.

"These young men are friends of Ebeysa," she stated, her voice commanding, "I ask that you allow us to pass. His Majesty requests an audience with them this morning."

The two men looked over the crew of teens once more, as if evaluating them. Seeming content with what they saw, one of the guards nodded as they stepped aside. Jane dipped her head in deference as she led the boys inside.

The room the boys found themselves was strikingly different from where they were moments previous. This room was circular and incredibly bright. It took Roy a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. Once he could actually see, he noticed that the light was from the now risen sun as its rays shone through the grand holes in the wall, much like the sun shone through his window every morning. In the centre of the room sat a grand throne made of mahogany. Five smaller thrones circled around it, forming a semi circle. A statue of a woman towered behind the thrones. Her long hair cascaded down the front of her marbled body, reaching her midsection. Her arms were outstretched, holding up a giant agate basin. The basin was pointed downwards, and out if came water. Kaldur's eyes followed the water as it fell, and he saw that the water from the basin created a moat-like barricade between the thrones and the rest of the room. How water continuously flowed from the basin, Kaldur knew not to question.

The man sitting in the centre throne stood up, commanding the presence of the room with his regal authority. Jane immediately knelt down, and was soon joined by Kaldur, who was all too familiar with being in the presence of royalty. Robin knelt as well, his head bowed. With some amusement, he watched the tiny ladybugs as they crawled over the room's floor. The only one who remained standing was Red Arrow. Whether he was not familiar with royal protocol or simply didn't care, it was uncertain. Kaldur, who realized his fiery friend was still standing, managed to yank him down so that the boy was forced on his knees.

"King Caeros," Jane spoke her head bowed, "The warriors from the Outside have arrived."

"You may rise, young warriors," the king boomed, his voice loud but jovial. The three boys and Jane stood up, and Kaldur took in the king's appearance.

He was elderly, but the young Atlantean could feel the power radiating off of him. Surely King Caeros was a frightful man in his zenith. But now, he was quite frail, his face sunken and eyes hollow. But beneath his snow white hair laid intelligent sky blue eyes. On top of his head rested a crown of holly, giving the man an air of ancient royalty. Though he looked fatigued, his voice was hospitable as he greeted the weary travelers.

"Welcome to Ebesya. I trust you've had a warm welcome."

"Yeah, if you call being attacked a warm welcome," Red Arrow muttered to himself, promptly receiving an elbow to his ribs courtesy of Kaldur. The redhead winced, glaring at Aqualad ferociously.

A smile graced King Caeros's tired face. "Fear not, warriors. The rest of your stay shall be merry. You are guests of the royal household tonight."

Kaldur bowed his head. "That is most gracious of you, King Caeros."

"It is the least I can do to repay you for escorting my daughters to Holwhey."

One of the girls sprang to her feet at the king's words. "What?" she exclaimed, clearly outraged, her face becoming almost as red as her wavy hair. "But father, I—"

"I will not tolerate insolence, Cassandra. I have told you that you are not to fight with us." King Caeros responded harshly. "You and your sisters are at too much risk here."

Another one of the girls rose from her seat, her gunmetal grey eyes sizing up the three boys. "And we are not at risk traveling with them? They had a hard enough time battling Jane, how can we trust they are adequate in their combat skills? Perhaps we would fair better out on the battlefield than in the care of incompetent little boys."

"Oh, no you don't!" Roy cried out furiously. "Where do you get off—"

"Roy, manners." Kaldur hissed, cutting off the fiery boy's tirade.

"I want to fight, father!" Cassandra insisted, her brown eyes flickering in anger, "I will not stand idly by and let our lands be taken by Uchisa and his men."

"Father's right, Cassandra," a third girl chimed in calmly, "Without knowing who shall take father's place on the throne, none of us can risk our lives, even if it is for a good reason. To ensure the kingdom's safety, we mustn't endanger ourselves." Her hazel eyes watched the fiery redheaded girl closely. Cassandra's resolve seemed to weaken under the gaze.

The last girl, who looked to be the youngest, nodded. "Aerabella makes a good point. And Sonya," she added, addressing the raven-haired girl, "We cannot judge these warriors so quickly."

"So quick to jump to the aid of the defenseless, are you not Keena?" Sonya retorted, annoyed.

"Hold on," Robin interrupted before another verbal brawl could commence, "Uchisa? Kingdom's safety? What exactly is going on?"

"Perhaps I can explain," the last figure, and only male aside from the king spoke up. He too had hazel eyes and brown hair like Aerabella. Robin briefly wondered if they were twins. "I was the one who contacted your Batman to aid us in our time of need. I am Aarlod, priest of Ebeysa. Within the past few months, we have received word that Uchisa has been planning on attacking and taking over Ebeysa."

"But how can he do that? You're like protected with that weird tree thing." Roy commented.

Aarlod nodded. "Yes the veil of Azifra protects us from the outside world. But it is not impregnable. Those who are born of Yundi's gift can enter the kingdom, if they know where to look."

"I beg forgiveness for my confusion, but who else possibly can possess this gift outside Ebeysa?" Kaldur politely inquired.

"Only those descendent of Yundi's creation carry this ability. We are of noble heritage, and once thought off as without the ability to be corrupted. My sisters, father, and I are direct descendents of the god Mikor, son of Azifra and Yundi and the mortal Zara, a descendent of the Unije Mikor is the god of war and as a result, his progeny inherently possessed fighting skills that could not be rivaled. Naturally, the gods favored Mikor's descendents as rulers of Ebeysa and thus blessed the coronation of Mikor's first son, Izo, a man known for his integrity and natural leadership abilities. His sister Reinja was blessed as priestess of Ebeysa. While Izo was responsible for the military safety of the kingdom, for at the time Ebeysa was not protected by the veil of Azifra, Reinja's duty lied in appeasing the gods to ensure the prosperity of the land and the people. Working together, Ebeysa flourished. And when the time came, Izo took a wife continued the legacy. As priestess, Reinja was forced to take a vow of chastity, so once Reinja died, Izo's daughter became the new priestess, blessed by Yundi. Izo's son, naturally, was blessed by Azifra as king once Izo passed.

"This cycle continued harmoniously for centuries until the time of Obrex and Evrina. King Jinwa's wife Hyu had given him two daughters: Evrina and Obrex. It was unprecedented, and nobody knew for certain who the heir to the throne would be. The general consensus was that Evrina, the eldest, would become queen. However, once King Jinwa passed, Azifra blessed Obrex as queen while Yundi blessed Evrina as priestess.

"Evrina was furious, claiming it was her birthright to be queen and not her younger sister's. So wrought with ire, the priestess attempted to commit an act unheard of in Ebeysa: murder. One night, Evrina attempted to murder Obrex. She failed, for one of Obrex's guards managed to protect Obrex from harm.

"The gods were displeased by Evrina's cruelty, and as a result they exiled her to Lekith, or No Man's Land. They exiled her to death. However, one of the gods, Q'ro, another son of Azifra and Yundi, was taken by Evrina's beauty and had mercy on her. Once the priestess was exiled, Q'ro saved her, and she was spirited away to the land Kuhub, a land far from Ebeysa. Q'ro brought her to a village in Kuhub, where the people took her in as their own. Evrina soon found herself with child, and gave birth to Pyec. Q'ro is the god fire, and soon after Pyec's birth. it was made quite clear what the relationship between Q'ro and Pyec was. Because of Pyec's fire abilities, he was soon leader of the village. But it wasn't enough for him. He grew up hearing his mother's story of the cruelty she faced in Ebeysa, and with her dying breath, she made her son promise to get revenge. Fueled by rage, Pyec soon conquered other villages and formed his own kingdom, which he called Xlt'hua. Once he had gathered a strong enough force, he set out for Ebeysa.

"It looked hopeless for Isdul, who was king of Ebeysa at the time. They were outnumbered and many people died fighting for Ebeysa. Isdul's sister, Katyr, fled to the temple of Arila and prayed for Ebeysa's safety. It is written that the goddess Iuris, goddess of justice and daughter of Azifra and Yundi, appeared before Katyr. Katyr pleaded for her kingdom, but she soon realized the help of a god would come at a grave price. In exchange for Iuris' help, Katyr sacrificed her life as payment. Her death saved Ebeysa. With Iuris' help, Pyec and his forces were driven back. The serendipitous windfall that had graced his victory overjoyed Isdul, but his joy was short-lived. Soon after the battle was over, he discovered his sister's body in the temple of Arila, crumpled before the statue of Yundi. Overcome with grief, Isdul created a funeral pyre for his sister, and constructed a statue within the palace commemorating her selfless act. This statue, in fact." Aarlod paused and gestured to the statue behind the six thrones before he continued again.

"As Katyr's funeral pyre burned, Isdul prayed. He prayed that Katyr's act would never have to be repeated. Azifra heard the king's prayer, and had mercy on the mourning king. He created the veil to surround and protect Ebeysa. It was made clear that the veil could only be passed through by creatures of Yundi. To ensure that future generations of Pyec's lineage could not infiltrate the veil, Yundi created portals that were tied to specific trees on Earth that required not only certain words to open it, but exact times in the day that the veil could be passed. You entered Ebeysa during one of those times: sunrise. The other, naturally, is sunset."

"But why have a portal at all?" Robin asked, enthralled by the Ebeysan history.

Aarlod smiled at the young boy. "To live in a world with only one culture, one language, one religion would be a sad world to live in, do you not agree? Before the Cyrian War, the people of Ebeysa had encounters with cultures of your world: the Celts and Romans, just to name a few. From them, we learned and they from us. We were forced to live in this isolated world by Pyec's people. It was not our choice. The gods knew, and took pity on us."

"How do you think we learned to speak English?" Jane asked, "After Azifra's veil surrounded Ebeysa, the role of the priest and priestess expanded. He or she was chosen to go out into the outside world, learn about its cultures, and come back to educate the rest of the Ebeysans."

"Yes, it is through this role that I discovered the Batman and the Justice League," Aarlod added, "It is how you came to be here. Recently, one of our scouts discovered footprints and the emblem of Uchisa, the current king of Xlt'hua on the outskirts of Lekith. Lekith is located in between Xlt'hua and where Ebeysa used to be. It is deserted and is said to be where the spirits of the fallen warriors from the Cyrian War rest. As a result, nobody has gone near the area in centuries. The fact that Uchisa's clan has neared it suggests they are coming to Ebeysa. While they may not be able to get into Ebeysa, we fear they may know the veil's weakness. If they destroy the trees that the portals are connected to, it will weaken the veil and reveal our whereabouts. These trees are not ordinary trees and destroying them requires divine intervention. The only god who would be willing to aid Uchisa is Q'ro. We did not forsee this as problematic, for Q'ro was punished by the gods for fathering a child with the traitorous Evrina. According to the Analects of Ryoki, the priestess after Katyr who wrote down the complete history of Ebeysa, the goddess Iuris appeared to Ryoki in a dream and revealed that Q'ro would forever be imprisoned in the underworld for his act of treachery, guarded by the keeper Hadrij. However, a few months ago I was visited by Iuris warned him that the trickster Q'ro had found a way out of the underworld. With a matter this great, we must take action immediately, which is why we have enlisted your help."

"We continually send scouts to survey the area, and the most recent update is that they are nearing the outskirts of where Ebeysa used to be. We still have a few day's time to prepare, but we wanted to make sure the princesses were as far away as possible," Jane stated. "You will leave tomorrow tonight, under the cover of nightfall. Holwhey is a three-day march from here. Once the girls enter the sanctuary, your mission will be completed. The elders of Holwhey will help transport you home."

"You three must be weary from your travels," the king suddenly said, as if uncomfortable with talks of the future. "Do not worry yourselves. For now, rest and enjoy the beauty of Ebeysa! Jane will take you to your quarters."

Jane bowed to King Caeros before turning back to the boys. "If you will follow me."

"Whoopey…another game of follow the leader," Red Arrow exclaimed sarcastically before tersely bowing to the king. Robin snickered at the boy's outburst before paying his respects to the king.

Kaldur bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, I promise we will protect your daughters with our lives."

King Caeros nodded solemnly in thanks, but remained silent. Aqualad looked at each of the princesses. Cassandra was still fuming and Sonya looked positively bored. When his eyes reached Aerabella's, she smiled warmly at him, comfortingly. Kaldur's eyes finally rested on Keena, who too smiled at him, her green eyes wide.

As he followed the others, Kaldur thought about the mission ahead. It definitely wasn't one of those run-of-the-mill escort assignments that he had originally thought it would be. He couldn't help but wonder what lied ahead of him. He thought of every possible scenario he could and tried to mentally plan what he would do.

But not even the great Kaldur could predict what happened to them.

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**A/N: Did you guys get that? Did it make any sense? PLEASE let me know what you thought of this chapter, I worked SO HARD on it. I swear, I've never worked so hard on anything before. It only takes like five seconds to review, while it took me like five hours to write this. A fair trade off, I say ;) The more review I get, the faster I'll update! The action starts in the next chapter, I promise! It'll get interesting from here on out! Thanks again for reading and reviewing! I really hope you liked it!**

**Oh, and thanks to Sunahu, kenZibenZi, Kokyou Konran, and sweetpea999 for the use of their characters and of course to Ranger for the use of Jane once again. **


	5. Day Two, Twilight

**A/N: Hi guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews! They mean a lot to me! Sorry that it took me so long to update. I've been traveling, and it's taken me longer to get adjusted to the new time zone that I had anticipated. Anyways, thank you all for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! It's a lot shorter, so hopefully it'll be easier to read.**

Chapter 3: Day Two, Twilight

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"Wake up!"

"…"

"Roy, wake up!" Robin repeated as he lightly shook the sleeping redhead.

"…ngh…five more minutes…"

"WAKE UP!" the raven hair boy hollered, shaking his teammate roughly.

Red Arrow's eyes snapped open as he shot straight out of the bed in surprise. His eyes sleepily darted around the room before he looked up at the teen standing next to his bed in confusion.

"Ah…what? What's going on?" he asked stupidly.

"Dude, you don't hear the racket from outside? We're under attack! Get dressed, we gotta find the girls!"

Before Roy could further question his younger friend, Robin darted out of the room. As Roy scrambled out of the bed, his legs become entangled in the linen sheets causing him to fall onto the cold, brick floor.

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed angrily as he kicked the sheets off of him. Once successful, he jumped to his feet and grabbed the clothes on the dresser next to his bed. Quickly, the boy dresses himself while listening to the low baritone sound of gongs that he assumed was the warning bells.

Grabbing his bow and arrow, the archer bounded toward the door and darted down the corridor, retracing his steps from a few hours ago. It didn't take him too long to find the others, who were standing together in the throne room.

"Finally!" Robin commented as he watched Roy enter. Red Arrow huffed in irritation.

"Well, excuse me if I am a sound sleepe—"

"That does not matter right now," Aqualad stated firmly, silencing the quarreling boys, "What matters is how the kingdom has fallen under attack so suddenly and how we can safely escort our charges to Holwhey." The light haired teen looked to King Caeros calmly, despite the chaos they heard outside. The king sighed sadly.

"It seems we have a traitor in our midst. These intruders were led here, by one of our own."

"As for our escape? I shall lead us," Aarlod added, shouldering his knapsack. "The castle has secret passageways that will lead us away from the fray. But we must leave now, Uchisa's men will have the entire castle covered soon."

The four girls, who had observed quietly, began to stir. Cassandra was the first to speak.

"You cannot believe we will willingly leave Ebeysa like this? His men greatly outnumber ours, the kingdom will fall by sunrise."

Aerebella laid a hand on her sister's arm. "What help will we be staying here? We are Ebeysa's last hope. If we were to perish, then all hope is lost."

Cassandra glanced at Aerebella before looking down at her feet, accepting the reality of her older sister's words.

"There isn't much time. You eight must leave now." King Caeros said as he approached each of his children, embracing them hurriedly. "Sonya: look after your sisters, especially Keena. Aerie: keep the others from quarreling. Cassandra: keep the morale up; it is a long and arduous journey. Keena: comfort your sisters should they become afraid. Aarlod: above all else, keep them safe. I pray that your mother is looking down upon you and sending her blessings. May the goddess Yundi protect you."

The five royals nodded, promising their father to do as he asked. Aarlod looked over at the three boys, signaling them to follow him.

Without another glance at King Caeros, Aarlod led the troupe out of the throne room, leading them down a corridor Kaldur had not seen before. They didn't walk very far before Aarlod extended his hand out, a familiar green glow emanating from it. The rock wall sunk in, and a passageway appeared. Hastily, the group climbed through the entrance. The passageway was narrow, and from the looks of it, only went in a single direction.

Robin was becoming anxious as they walked; he didn't like feeling trapped. After what felt like an eternity, Aarlod gestured for them to stop walking. From what he could tell, they had reached a dead end. But a glow from Aarlod's hand indicated that the priest was about to create an exit for them.

Robin's assumption was proven correct as the rocks disappeared in front of them, the starry night greeting them as they made their way outside.

"We do not have much time," Aarlod insisted once they were all out of the passageway. "We must head for the Forest of Galar. There are many caverns in which we can hide during the daylight. But for now, we must travel until the sun rises."

Robin followed Aarlod and resumed his trek, but quickly noticed that Keena had not. He turned around and saw her staring up at the castle, listening to the battle cries of her fellow Ebeysans as they combated the trespassers. Robin jogged back to where the girl stood and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the contact, but relaxed when she discovered it was Robin.

"My sisters and I have never left Ebeysa before," she whispered to the boy, her green eyes dark.

"It'll be okay," Robin insured her, "You'll be back here soon enough." Keena tore her eyes from the castle and watched the boy next to her closely.

"Promise?"

The Boy Wonder knew he shouldn't make promises he didn't know he could keep, but there was such earnest in her voice that he couldn't help but promise her. She gave him a small smile before she walked away, following her big brother and sisters.

The cries of her people bothered Cassandra greatly, and she made her upset quite clear to her travel companions. "We are nothing more than cowards for turning our backs on our people!"

"Cassandra, would you just shut up?" Sonya demanded irritably, "We have not been trained to fight, we would have been in the way. What will it take for you to see that?"

"Do you even care that hundreds of people are dying out there right now?" Cassandra retorted angrily, "You always remain so stoic Sonya that sometimes I wonder if you even have a heart."

"It is a stressful time for all of us," Aerie intervened, "Let us not spend it fighting amongst each other. It does no good."

"I would advise no more talking," Aarlod warned, "We are still well within enemy lines."

A tense silence descended upon the group of eight, smothering them. But no one spoke, for fear of alerting the enemy to their whereabouts. The tension lifted some as they reached the Forest of Galar, but they all remained quiet.

Every rustle would cause Roy to tense as he directed his bow in the direction he heard the sound. Aarlod had not mentioned what creatures dwelled in the Forest of Galar, leaving Red Arrow's imagination to conjure images of sword wielding bears or some other terrifying mystical animal that he prayed he wouldn't encounter.

But the forest remained quiet the entire night, and by the time the sun began to rise, the kingdom of Ebeysa was no longer in sight. Thanks to the now rising sun, Kaldur could see Aarlod point to a cave a few yards away from them.

"We will rest in there until the sun sets. In order to assure that we are not caught by surprise by any human or creature, the four of us—" the priest paused to look at the three superheroes "—will take turns watching the area while the others sleep. I shall take first shift."

"I'll take second shift," Kaldur offered.

"Third," Robin volunteered. Everyone faced Roy, eyeing him expectantly. He turned his head to look at the person standing behind him, only to discover that there was no one behind him. The red headed teen looked back at the others, a forced smile on his face.

"C'mon guys…can I volunteer first shift _tomorrow_? It's been a really long day for me."

"_Roy…"_ Kaldur admonished quietly.

"Oh, fine then!" Roy sneered. "I'll take the last shift, geez."

With Aarlod remaining close to the entrance of the cave, the remaining seven travelers moved toward the back of the cavern before collapsing onto the floor. Although it was uncomfortable, the group weary travelers was soon fast asleep.

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**A/N: So yeah, it was definitely a lot shorter and not as detail oriented. Do you guys like that better? Or do you like longer chapters? Let me know so I can improve this story! I welcome any critiques! And I hope you guys liked the extra Roy moments…he's so much fun to write. **

**Thanks to Sunahu, kenZibenZi, Kokyou Konran, and sweetpea999 for the use of their characters. I will be introducing new characters in the next few chapters!**

**Thanks again for reading! I'll try to update soon. **


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